A New Face in the Crowd
by Different Child
Summary: Nicolette was born in Japan but she grew up in America. Then, suddenly, her family is moving back! What will happen when she attends Seigaku? Will this new face in the crowd become just another or will she be something special?
1. The Announcement

**A/n**: Again, those who read my other stories – please don't kill me. XD  
For all you Prince of Tennis people that I've been reviewing, here's your chance! My very own PoT fic! 3 I'm so excited!!!

Hope you enjoy!

The customary explanations:

"Speech"

_Thoughts_

* * *

When she heard the news Nicolette stared at her parents. "What brought this on?"

Her mother sat calmly drinking her coffee, knowing how her children would react. Aimée had been devastated! She didn't want to leave her friends. Laurance had been disappointed as he'd been settled but he shrugged it off. He'd manage. Marie was annoyed! She was in seventh grade and she'd have to start at the bottom of the food chain again! "Two years in a row? Really?!" Elayne had been sad but when her mother told her there would still be other kids she was ok. But Nicolette…she couldn't accept it. She had to question everything.

"Your father's work is taking us there darling. Really it's not so bad. You were born there." Her mother would have preferred that his work take them back to her native country but instead it took them to his. _C'est la vie pour toi. _**(1)**

She crossed her arms and looked at her mother. "But I've got friends here and I've spent the majority of my life here. I'm in high school here but over there I'd still be in middle school. That's hard to explain to people here." Nicolette knew quite a bit about Japan. She even knew Japanese, though it was a bit rusty. How? Her father was from there.

Noriaki had met Alicia on a business trip to France and they fell in love. She eventually moved to Japan to be with him, they had their eldest three, and she was pregnant with their fourth when they moved to America. All the children were citizens by then and had grown up in the States but their parents were sure they were well education on their parents' native countries. Culture was not something the Yamada children were lacking.

Her mother waved her hand dismissively. "Il a été arrangé. L'affaire est finie. (**2)** That's that. You don't have a choice my dear. The rest of your siblings already know. You'll have a little longer to say good bye to your friends and then we'll be moving. Come come, think of it as a new opportunity. You can reinvent yourself."

_Reinvent myself my ass Mother. I don't want to change who I am._ "Fine. But I don't have to like it." With that Nicolette stormed off, leaving the house and going for a walk. It generally helped clear her head. How could her mother expect her to go to a whole new country all of a sudden? New friends and a new school! UGH! Baka kaa-san! (**3**) Sometimes I think she loves doing this to me. To us. Her precious Aimée might have been the first to know and might be the least tortured but the rest of them…that's another story.

Nicolette walked for quite a bit before ending up at the park, sitting down to think. She sat on a wooden bench that had seen better days, but still stood strong and proud in its original place. Leaning her head back, Nicolette took a deep breath. _Just calm down. Freaking out isn't going to do any good. Maybe it won't be so bad…right? Maybe? Ok who am I kidding? It's going to suck at least some. Mama knows that. So does Papa. But unfortunately I don't doubt them when she said I don't have an option. ARGH! Why now? When I'm finally getting settled here? Just my luck._

She sat there agonizing over the situation for several hours with no phone call or summons to return to the Yamada household. Her father knew she would be upset at the news; all of his children would no doubt. Her mother had been there to witness the girl's reaction firsthand, as she had been the one delivering the news. That afternoon and evening none of the Yamada children were pestered. Their parents gave them one day to sulk before forcing them to continue on with their normal activities. And they took it, because they knew that things would never be quite the same again.

* * *

Roughly translated those things mean:

**(1)** C'est la vie pour toi. = That's life for you.

**(2) **Il a été arrangé. L'affaire est finie. = It has been settled. The deal is finished.

**(3)** Baka kaa-san! = Idiot mother or Stupid mom. Either works.

And if I'm ever wrong on the French or Japanese please correct me. I don't speak either fluently. The French I've learned from one semester in school and my textbook. The Japanese is from watching too much anime. XD So feel free to point out any errors. Merci!

Hope you all liked it!! Please click the little review button at the bottom of the page! It makes me soo happy!! Until next time…


	2. Goodbyes

**A/n**: Hope you enjoyed the prologue! It was just a little introduction to the situation. ^^ Here's chapter 1! I couldn't help but continue writing this! Updates however, will be at your control! The more you review, the faster I update. It's summer now so unless Writer's Block hits I can keep this up for now. Off we go!

And a special thanks to _**Azali Syria **_ for letting me rant to her all about Nicolette Monday night when I was writing. She's just wonderful. Really. The girl is fabulous!

* * *

The next morning the Yamada children were all more than happy to go to school, knowing they'd have to say goodbye to their friends. Elayne was the one taking it the best. The hardest? Between Nicolette and Aimée were tied. Though Aimée was making the bigger fuss. Nicolette simply wasn't speaking much. Laurance was miffed but he sucked it up. He'd manage. Marie didn't think it'd be the end of the world but she thought she'd be miserable. Their mother was already getting frustrated with the girls. Really now, must they take it so hard? It's not as if they won't be able to see their friends ever again. They can always come visit sometime. She shook her head. _Teenagers. _

Laurance drove them all to school, dropping of Elayne at the elementary school, Marie at the junior high and then the eldest three arrived at their local high school. Nicolette split ways with her two eldest siblings as they arrived in the cafeteria, the typical pre-bell hangout place. She went over to her group of friends, her fellow freshman, and sat down in an exaggerated manner. Her friends knew what that meant – something was wrong. "What's up Nikki?"

She looked over at her friends, not looking happy. "We're moving. Like next week! To Japan!" Nicolette threw her hands up in the air, frustrated. "Merde! **(1) **They told me about this yesterday! You'd think I deserve a little more warning than that! And little miss princesseAimée said but what about all the boys? As if there aren't just as many boys in Japan. Honestly. I'm worried about my friends as is Laurie but as usual she can't even raise a valid concern. And as she's "foreign" the boys will be fascinated. She played the "I don't speak English very well" card when we went from Private to Public. The boys bought it here. Come on. She'll do it there too with Japanese. Why do I have to leave you guys?"

Her friend Tom frowned. He didn't like it either. "You kidding me Nikki? They're moving you? Not cool. I agree with you and I'm sad. We've been friends for years." He sighed. "But there's no point in arguing. It won't change what's going to happen. I mean…we'll miss you. But hey, you can't change it right? Just try to make the most of it?"

"You kidding?" Their friend Laura asked. "Nikki make the most of it? She'll turn into some shy little thing the second she gets over there. I mean, that's one way to get the guys." She winked.  
Nicolette groaned. "Seriously? You think I'm worried about getting a boyfriend? I'm just worried about in general. I'm not one to seek out the popular crowd – "

"Good! Cause we're not the popular kids! That'd be bad if you'd been lying to us this whole time!" Jeffrey pointed out. "And who cares? You'll make friends somehow. You always have, right? I mean, we met in Kindergarten when you barely spoke English. Now that was funny."

She blushed. "Yea yea yea. I remember. And I don't know…I get nervous around new people. I don't know what to say or how to act. It's like I forget my senses." Nicolette was painfully shy with new people. She was almost like a different person. Once she warmed up to someone, like her friends, she was much more relaxed.

"She'll be fine." Another boy walked over to the table and turned a chair around, sitting in it sideways. "Nicolette's a tough cookie. She'll manage. Even if she doesn't like it."

Said girl began smiling again. Matt was the peacemaker in the group. He was the so-called leader if there was one. That and he was her ex-boyfriend. No biggie, breakup was harsh but time had passed and all was forgiven…for the most part. "Arigato Matt. I guess…" She sighed in defeat. "I guess I don't have a choice. But I do have the option to keep in touch. I promise I'll email you and call and write!"

They all smiled and laughed. Nikki wasn't the type of person who would forget all about her friends just because she'd moved on. They'd stay friends. The rest of the morning went smoothly with the group of friends goofing off then reluctantly going to class. Lunch went similarly to the morning, except one little thing.

… ... ... ... ... ...

"What? You're kidding. Middle school. Really?" Jeff was sitting there mouth gaping open at the news.

Nicolette nodded. "Yea. In Japan elementary is Kindergarten through sixth grade. Middle school is then seventh through ninth, leaving me back to my final year of middle school." She shrugged. "Marie's also gonna be a freshman there so I'll have company. And besides, I'll have to take English class. So I'll have at least something going for me right?"

Laura giggled. "That part doesn't sound so bad. But you have to know Japanese too right? How else will you talk to anyone? O! But then you could avoid your homework!"

She rolled her eyes. Laura was a good friend; she just had a few wacky ideas sometimes…ok most of the time. But she meant well.

The end of the day rolled around faster than Nicolette would have liked. She was not looking forward to packing up her life and moving overseas. She continued to sulk and was about to head out but she got pulled back before she left. The mystery person who had grabbed her from behind turned out to be Matt. He pulled her back a bit and led her to a less crowded area of the hallway. "Hey."

She looked at him a bit confused. "Hey yourself?" Nicolette looked at her ex and now good friend. Why pull her like that? It wasn't her last day quite yet. She finished out the remainder of the week though the only reason she didn't find it pointless was the time she spent with her friends.

He chuckled. "Really Nicolette, no need to sound so skeptical. I just wanted to talk to you one on one. And well, it's usually hard to find that around school and damn near impossible at your house if things haven't changed."

"No, no they haven't changed at all. But seriously, Matthew, what is it you want? I don't mind but I must admit it was a bit out of the ordinary. You haven't pulled me aside like this since we were dating. And I don't assume you want to start making out because that would be extremely awkward."

Matt sighed and shook his head. She didn't usually call him Matthew and she was the only person besides his family who could get away with that. "Nicolette look, I just wanted to say that I'll miss you ok? We all will. But we've known each other for a while now. I know it's nothing I couldn't say in front of the others it's just that they'd make fun of me for this." He hugged her closely and she blushed furiously.

_What is he getting at? Please tell me this isn't another confession JUST as I'm moving?! I doubt it but merde! Boys are confusing!!!_

He pulled away from the hug smirking. "O come on, don't get so full of yourself. I'm just gonna miss an old friend."

Nicolette groaned and hit him. "Jerk."

"That's the girl I know. Now go on, take Japan by storm."

She raised an eyebrow staring at him. "How corny or cliché can you get?"

He laughed. "Very. But seriously. Have fun."

* * *

The remainder of the week passed with tearful goodbyes and lots of laughter. The beginning of the next week was spent finalizing plans for he move and packing every last belonging into boxes and bags to be sent overseas. Finally the day arrived and they were off to Japan.

Elayne was hyper and bouncing when they were at the airport squealing with glee when their flight began to board. She was excited about flying. She liked airplanes. Marie was squirming around, not exactly a big fan of this, kind of the opposite of her baby sister. Aimée was texting away, chatting with her friends. Laurance was sitting there reading a book. And Nicolette was entertaining Elayne because no one else would.

They all got up and headed straight to the front, giving them their boarding passes and passports before getting onto the plane, taking their seats.

Nicolette was stuck next to Aimée for a flight that was around eighteen hours. Eighteen hours?! She was already frustrated at having to go in general, but she had started to relax a little…just a little about that. But her sister made any feelings she had worse with the evil knowing smile that she gave Nicolette. She sighed. This was going to be a long ride…  


* * *

**(1)** Merde = Shit. XD

Don't worry! The Seigaku crowd will appear soon! Next chapter – They arrive in Japan! And we'll have a little look at what's going on with our favorite boys.

And special thanks also go to my friend Antonio who drew Nicolette and who was a good sport about me ranting.

Reviewwwww _please_. Constructive criticism is welcome! Embraced even. Tell me what I can improve! Tell me what you like!!

Hope to see you soon!!


	3. One Long Plane Ride and a New House

Woot! Chapter 2 here we are! And I don't think you want me to play out 18 hours worth out a plane ride. XD

* * *

The plane ride was longer than imagined, or so it seemed to Nicolette. Aimée wasn't letting her sleep much. She kept chattering away about how the boys in Japan didn't know what was waiting for them and all about the latest fashions. Nicolette then 'politely' reminded her sister that they would be wearing uniforms at school so fashion didn't matter that much. Quite frankly to her it was something to be grateful for though her older sister nearly had a fit at the thought. _Honestly, uniforms are a way of letting you get to know a person for who they are and now how much money they have. Or what they look like…_She mused until she remembered just how short the skirts were going to be.

Nicolette decided for her sanity to open one of the books she'd brought on the plane…since sleep wasn't an option. Aimée looked at her, frustrated. "You're not listening are you?"

The Younger sister looked up to her elder and blinked innocently. "Whatever do you mean?" Inside she wanted to laugh because she was paying far too much attention to the older girls ramblings.

She frowned at Nicolette. "Honestly Nikki! You never listen to me, do you? What kind of imouto **(1)** are you?" Nicolette shrugged. "One that hears this all the time. Or maybe the one that's tired because you haven't let her sleep for over 5 hours of being on this plane already?" She replied, rather annoyed at her sister's constant chattering. Right now she just wanted sleep.

Aimée made a "hmph" noise and turned around, ignoring her sister now. Turnabout was fair play she felt. Nicolette didn't object to this at all and took the moment to close her book, putting it back in her carryon. She pulled the blanket that had been laying on her lap up further, covering herself past the shoulders. Yawning, she closed her eyes, happy to go to sleep. Luckily she managed to rest for a while before being woken up later.

But finally, much to everyone's delight, they finally arrived in Japan. Needless to say the five children bounded off the plane as soon as they could. Their father simply got up calmly and walked off while his wife walked calmly by his side, shaking her head at her 'rude' children. _Where are their manners?_ She thought as they reached the gate inside the airport.

Laurance was restraining Elayne, who was trying to run in all directions, fascinated by the airport. He vaguely remembered this place from when they moved years ago. Aimée did as well though she was busy looking at the boys that were passing by. Though she was also wondering if she'd fit in at her new school, in this new place. She was with Laurance in vaguely remembering Japan. She wished she could remember more in the few years they'd been there but they were awfully young. Besides, she wasn't quite as shallow as she seemed. She looked around, scouting out the hotties again. Marie simply stood there in awe of it.

Their parents led them towards the baggage claim, going to get the luggage that they had checked. Knowing they were moving, the Yamadas had sent some of it ahead so that it would be there upon arrival. With the older children keeping the younger in tow and Nicolette simply taking in everything around them, they reached their destination in another part of the airport.

The wait was longer than preferred but not longer than should be expected. Nicolette had done a little research beforehand so she decided to ask a few questions out of pure boredom. What else was she supposed to do while they were waiting for their bags? Better than her sister whining about how things weren't going her way. Honestly! "So this is a first class airport huh?"

Her father simply nodded and responded with one word. "Hai." Nicolette sighed. Honestly, why was he so stern?! He could relax a little. _Ever the businessman…._

Aimée whined, asking why it was taking so long. Her mother assured them. "Il est très bien ! Ils seront ici bientôt ! Alors nous pouvons aller à notre nouvelle maison. Comprenez? **(2)**" Aimée nodded at her mother "Oui Mama." "Good." Nicolette snickered at her older sister finally getting reprimanded. "Et toi Nicolette? **(3)** Do not think you get off. You are to be patient too. " It was her sisters turn to snicker but this time got a glare from their father. They were all tired from the trip and he wasn't about to put up with this sort of behavior from any of his children or his wife. He was never more grateful then when their bags came. _Arigatou Kami-sama! __**(4) **_He grabbed the bags and motioned his family out the door, all of them following. No one wanted to question their father at that moment.

A driver met them and bowed, taking the lead then along with the bags to the limo waiting for them. Mr. Yamada gladly handed them over and took his place behind the driver. They walked out of Narita International Airport and the driver put the luggage down, opening the door for them as one by one they got in. After shutting the door behind the youngest of the Yamada children he picked up the luggage and put it all in the trunk before heading back over to the drivers side and starting up the limousine and heading off towards the house waiting for the family.

…

After what seemed like no time, because everyone had fallen asleep on the way, the Yamadas arrived at their new house. Nicolette had woken up just a bit before, long enough to see them drive up towards the house and pull in. _Wow. It's big, that's for sure. Different than our house in America without a doubt. _The house had a definite Japanese feel to it and design, not to her surprise. It was actually kind of nice. Upon arrival the limousine stopped and the driver got out, opening the door for Nicolette and her family.

Being the person that she was, Nicolette decided to go in first, curious to see their new house. She walked inside, not knowing what to expect. You see, she had been born in Japan, but before she was old enough to remember they moved to America. So to her, this was all new. She was new. It would be hard to start from scratch but she could do it. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad…Just then her thoughts were interrupted by the rest of her family barging in. _There goes privacy…_

* * *

_Funny note: I put my facebook in French to try and help me with this. XD_

Translations: [Again correct me if you find any of this wrong.]

**(1)** Imouto = little sister

**(2)** Il est très bien ! Ils seront ici bientôt ! Alors nous pouvons aller à notre nouvelle maison. Comprenez? = It's fine! They will be here soon! Then we can go to our new home. Understand?

**(3)** Et toi Nicolette? = And you Nicolette?

**(4)** Arigatou Kami-sama! = Thank God!

**A/n**: I know I know. I promised to introduce the regulars here but the chapter just seemed to stop here. But in exchange I'll try to update REALLY fast. Thanks for bearing with me!!!!!!

Love you guys!

~ Different Child


	4. Late Night Adventures

Updated as fast as I could!!!  
^^

Also – really sorry about how short the last chapter was! It just kind of ended there.

So…here ya go!

**Dedicated to**: _Ysah-chan_ who beta-d this chapter and dealt with me complaining! She is now my beta yay!!! Thank you!!!! And _Houjun Ri _who read this over and put up with me whining at the end of it.

* * *

The rest of the day had been spent bringing everything into their new home. Though not much unpacking was done. After everything had been brought in and all the fighting over who would get which room was done, and there was a lot of that, the Yamadas decided to turn in early.

The following day however, was much busier. Everyone was moving around the house, putting this item on that shelf, shoving the box over there into the trash. They wanted their new house to be settled into quickly. Mr. Yamada did not want his family to be second-guessing the move – particularly the children. He wanted them to adjust quickly. His eldest three girls had, between the three of them, not stopped complaining. His son was frustrated though he was glad the boy knew better than to argue with him. His youngest daughter Elayne was the only one being reasonable.

Speaking of the youngest child she had woken up and began bouncing around the house, the only people awake besides her being her parents. However she didn't take to that and decided that her siblings all needed to be up. And that's how the entire household was awake before noon. It suited her parents just fine because they could make their children unpack.

After a long day of getting the house in order, Nicolette and Marie made dinner for the family. Their mother didn't really enjoy cooking thus neither did Aimée. The girl really followed in their mother's footsteps. Thus the two girls were the ones left to make the meal. It wasn't a big deal to Nicolette though. It meant spending time with her younger sister and it meant that she had control over the food they ate. Well...Marie had more control. Nicolette wasn't that great in the kitchen but she managed. She was a heck of lot better than most of her family…though that didn't say much.

Marie was the real chef. The twelve year old was a wiz in the kitchen. She loved to cook anything. To her, Nicolette was a helper. And it was fun having her big sister help her. When she watched Nikki and Aimée fight she never knew who to side with. This usually resulted in her leaving the room to let the two argue. When she was alone with them she was ok. _Well…mostly. _She finished up cooking the spaghetti and put it on the table.

The entire Yamada family sat down and a chorus of "Itadakimasu" **(1) **was heard before everyone began eating. Dinner went without incident for the most part. It was just the usual bickering between siblings. After dinner is when the real action happened. Laurance said something that his twin didn't like causing Aimée to go on and on….and on. "Really Laurie! "

"Yes really." This was simply the beginning of an argument about how girls wear too much makeup. Why did he have to be the only male child again? Nicolette took this opportunity to sneak up to her room and change, putting on a red shirt and her favorite black skirt. She looked at herself in the mirror, pulling her hair back in a ponytail and grabbed her bag before heading downstairs and slipping on her sneakers, heading out. Due to the ruckus caused by the fighting twins, no one even noticed that she had slipped out the door.

* * *

After leaving the house, Nicolette headed off, adventuring around the city. She had decided to just walk around for a bit and see where she ended up. She hadn't brought her tennis racket with her, deciding last minute that a purse was enough. Not being acquainted with the area kind of made her skeptical about bringing more than necessary. Quite honestly, Nicolette had no idea where she was going. It just hit her. She did not know where she was. Back in the states she had known just where things were, having lived there most of her life. But now, in a foreign country that she now called home, she hadn't the faintest idea where she'd ended up.

The frustrated teenager sighed, looking around for signs to tell her where she was or indications of another person nearby. She was currently walking near what she deemed to be a park of sorts. How she'd ended up there? She wasn't sure. But Nicolette figured that walking a little further couldn't hurt anything. So she did. She walked a bit more through the area until she heard a familiar sound – one that crossed languages. She smiled as she heard the tennis balls hitting the court. _Someone's playing tennis? I think I'll go check it out._

She walked over slowly towards the courts, the sound she had previously heard now getting louder. Nicolette did play tennis, though she didn't usually mention it right off the bat. Writing was her thing and Laurie was the athlete in the family. He didn't play tennis, but still. She was supposed to step back and let her brother take the glory. As the younger child it was her duty not to surpass the older siblings. At least neither him nor Aimée wrote. Nicolette shook her head and walked closer, stopping when she caught sight of who was playing. He was not what she had imagined when she heard the balls being hit.

He was about average height, though he seemed small for a boy. _Maybe he's around my age! _He had light brown hair…sort of a desert color, as Marie would say. He was wearing a blue and white shirt with a bit of red it looked like, on the collar. It was hard to tell since it was getting dark but there were lights on the courts. She saw him move gracefully, hitting the balls again and again. Since there was no one around she assumed he was working on his serve.

Nicolette snuck closer and watched the boy with fascination. He seemed serious…yet not at the same time. _Wait, does he have his eyes closed? Really? Can he even see like that? _He tossed the ball up and then hit it. _I guess so if he can manage to hit the ball._ She sighed and continued to peek at the boy as he hit a serve that managed to surprise him. It disappeared! She blinked again, staring at it. "Sugoi!" **(2)** the girl blurted out. _Très impressionnant!_. **(3) **This caused Fuji to turn around, curious. She blushed; embarrassed she'd said it aloud.

Fuji looked at the source of the random outburst. Standing there, looking quite embarrassed, was a girl with fairly long, light brown hair tied up in a ponytail. She was about his height, perhaps a little shorter. _Interesting. I was just practicing but now…hmm…_He smirked a bit. _Her accent isn't from anywhere around here. Interesting. _He chuckled to himself. This was not a typical evening anymore…

"You can come out you know. I've already heard you so there is no point in hiding."

She walked out which gave him a better look at her appearance. Her ponytail went down close to the middle of her back. She carried herself well, she did not slouch too much but instead carried herself as though she was used to sitting up straight or she was confident in herself. Both would be amusing. She was wearing a skirt that didn't appear to be too short but not very long either. The top was a fitted t-shirt and it suited her. Fuji shook his head as she drew near. Yumiko had dragged him along when she was shopping too many times.

Nicolette tried not to appear nervous as she walked over to meet the mysterious boy. "Eh, konbanwa **(4)** and sumimasen **(5)** for disrupting your practice." She bowed politely to him, hoping he'd accept her apology and that he wasn't angry. To her surprise he simply smiled at her. "It's fine." He waved his hand as she stood up. "I'm Fuji Syusuke by the way."

She was relieved, though shocked, at his response and introduction. "Yamada Nishiko. " She introduced herself using the Japanese name she was given. When they were born their mother got to name them per her insistence citing that she had 'carried them for nine months, gone through labor and deserved it.' However their father had given them Japanese names as well seeing as they had lived in Japan when their eldest were born. They usually only used those names when they spoke with his family or visited them, which was rare. But now that they were in Japan he had told them to use them now.

"Dozo yoroshiku"**(6) **he said in reply. The girl was surprised to see that having his eyes closed was not a training technique but it appeared to be normal as he still had them shut. "So, what was it that made you reveal yourself? If you don't mind me asking that is. Since you interrupted me after all." He smirked.

"Ano…the ball just disappeared! I couldn't help but be caught off guard by that. Again I'm sorry for interrupting."

"I see." He replied in return to her statement. "Well it's a technique of mine I was practicing."

"Do you play tennis?" She paused after asking that as he looked at her. "Eh, sorry. Stupid question. Obviously you do if you were out here practicing. I meant to say do you play tennis, like at school?"

"Ah, hai. I play for my middle school." He smiled. He was proud of his teammates. They all worked hard and did their best to win. They had fun along the way of course.

"That's neat. Fuji-san!" Nicolette, or Nishiko, as she had to get used to introducing herself as, said enthusiastically.

"What school do you go to Yamada-san? You don't sound like you're from around here."

"Ah, I don't go to one, yet. We just moved here. I'll be starting school in a few days. I don't know where yet but I'll be in my third year of middle school." _When I had just finally gotten to high school…_

_I wonder where she moved from…_He mused but decided he'd figure it out later. Somehow he had a feeling this would not be the last time they would meet. "I see. I attend Seishun Gakuen. It's called Seigaku actually." He smiled at her, his face never changing expressions.

Somehow Nicolette found that a tad bit creepy…but didn't let it get to her. "Neat." She glanced at her watch. "Putain de merde!" **(7) **She bowed again looked at him apologetically. "Sorry, I just realized what time it is. I've got to get home. I'll see you later Fuji-san!!" She waved, running off towards her house. Somehow she didn't think it would be the last time she would meet him. In fact, she got the feeling she'd be seeing him a lot.,

Fuji waved as the girl ran off after muttering something to herself Fuji didn't understand. He then chuckled once more to himself. Things were getting interesting…

* * *

**Translations**:

**(1) **"Itadakimasu" = Literally translated I believe it means 'I humbly receive'. Said before meals.

**(2)** "Sugoi!" - Amazing, Awesome …Something like that. I've seen/heard it used before but I wasn't positive. Correct me if I'm wrong on spelling or meanings of things! ^_^

**(3)** Très impressionnant! = Very Impressive

**(4) **Konbanwa = Good evening. Greeting used at night.

**(5)** Sumimasen = I'm sorry. It's a more formal way of saying I'm sorry than Gomenasai or Gomen.

**(6)** Dozo yoroshiku = Nice to meet you.

**(7) **Putain de merde! = Fucking hell. Roughly translated I believe. That one wasn't in the textbooks. XD

* * *

**A/n**: Nicolette's family spoke English and at their home it will be switching back and forth between the two. Though obviously both will primarily be written in English. French will be written in French. If she is with anyone other than her family I'll specify which she's speaking.

Please review and thanks for reading!!!

Next chapter: First day of school!


	5. Welcome to Seigaku

I had requests for fast updates!! I'll do my best!!!! ^_^  
I got 4 reviews in ONE night. Less than a few hours from when I'd posted it. Love to you guys!! I adore my reader!!

This chapter was beta-d by _Ysah-chan _again! Much appreciated to her. She keeps me grounded.

And dedicated to _Starleatta _! That was a wonderful review that made me soo happy!!

* * *

That night when she got home, Nicolette had been scolded seeing as a half an hour after she left they noticed that she wasn't there. But that didn't matter to her. Seeing as they were new, her parents didn't ground her they just told her to be more careful. _Lucky! _She thought. She immediately went to take a bath and then changed into her pajamas. That night, as she drifted to sleep, she dreamed about how great Japan might be after all…

* * *

_3 days later…  
_

"Come along children! You don't want to be late for your first day at school!!" Mrs. Yamada scolded her children.

Their father had already left for work earlier that morning, not wanting to be late on his first day either. Normally they'd all have breakfast together but that day the children spent their breakfast time getting ready.

Laurance was the first down, no surprise there. He usually was. He was being trained to follow his father into the business world and was taught that being prompt was vital. He came down and nodded to his mother, grabbing a bagel while waiting for his twin.

Aimée had woken up early….to spend what seemed like forever getting ready. Nicolette sighed and knocked on the bathroom door trying to get her sister out. _ Thank god there's more than one bathroom… _"Aimée! Come on! Mama says we have to go!!"

Frustrated, the 15 year old stormed out of the bathroom. "Do I look alright?" She hadn't had enough time to finish applying all the makeup she wanted to and had yet to do her hair. Nicolette groaned. Sometimes it seemed like her sister was so superficial that she couldn't think of anything else...ok most of the time. "Bon. Good. Fine. Let's go. Laurie's waiting for you!"

She went to Marie's room as Aimée went downstairs, pleased to see her little sister dressed and ready. "Come on, Marie. Since we're in the same school again we're walking together. It's Mama's idea. You alright with that?"

The younger Yamada nodded and smiled. She did best with her siblings one-on-one. "Hai Nee-san!" Nicolette shook her head, laughing and heading downstairs with her only to find out Laurie and Aimée already left.

Their mother looked over at them and handed the elder daughter directions. "This is how you get to your school. If you get lost, call me. Alright?" She handed them their bentos, knowing they'd forget.

Nicolette looked over the directions and nodded. _They seem to be self-explanatory. _"Arigato! Au revoir!**(1)**" She took Marie's hand and started walking, in a hurry to just get to school.

Mrs. Yamada sighed as her girls walked off to their new school. She hoped that they would finally adjust to being here. School had to help…,right? The mother went into the living room and got her youngest ready. "Come along Elayne. It's off to school now."

* * *

But of course, the walk to school couldn't even be normal. Nothing, she mused, since she had gotten to Japan, had been anything resembling normal. She and Marie were looking at the directions, eyes aimed towards the paper when suddenly, someone crashed into them. This led Marie to fall on her arse, Nicolette to stumble a bit before managing to stay up and their offender to turn it into a flip before landing on his feet.

"EH!" He blinked, realizing he'd run into two girls in his hurry. "AH! Gomenasai!!!" **(2) **The young boy bowed, knowing he hadn't been paying any attention.

Nicolette blushed and bowed also. "Sumimasen!"

Marie got up, brushing herself off and watching the two. "It's fine. I think if we're all apologizing then it's everyone's fault." The 12 year old rationalized the situation. She wasn't a data freak like a certain Seigaku tennis regular, he mused but she did seem calm considering he ran into them.

"Maybe you're right!" He laughed. "My name's Kikumaru Eiji!" The red-head stated enthusiastically.

"Yamada Nishiko." She bowed again, getting nervous. Why did she always freeze up with new people?

Marie, knowing her sisters behavior, bowed as well and introduced herself. "Yamada Mari. And pardon my Nee-san**(3)**. She's shy with new people."

At that moment Nicolette wanted to kill her little sister and hug her at the same time. Marie wasn't the least social of the children in the house and the calmest female member of the family. She was grateful that her little sister took the burden off of her to be the main conversationalist but not happy that she embarrassed her by saying that. She managed....usually.

The redheaded acrobat laughed. "Ah, it's fine! Nice to meet you both! " He noticed the piece of paper that had fallen out of their hands.

"These are directions to Seigaku!" He bounced over closer to the girls.

Marie took a step back though Nicolette did not. "Eh, hai. That's our new school!"

Her older sister paused for a moment. How could it not sink in yet? Seigaku…Seishun Gakuen. The boy she had met a few days ago on the tennis court! He went there.

_Maybe I'll see him again…And not make a fool out of myself this time…_

"Really??" His eyes gleamed with excitement. "That's so cool! I go to Seigaku! We're the best!!!" Eiji threw his fist up in excitement.

"I'll be a first year but Nee-san will be a third year. We're new."

Nicolette nodded, feeling a little less nervous. Kikumaru reminded her of Elayne in a way…though in male form and eight years old.

He looked even more excited. "Sugoi! I'm a third year!! This'll be so cool! I hope you're in my class! We'd have so much fun! But if not I bet I can introduce you to someone!!" The redhead took their hands and started leading them to Seigaku. "Come on! I'll show you the way! I don't have morning practice today but I forgot that's why I was running!" He laughed hyperly.

"Practice?" Nicolette inquired.

Marie smiled as her sister was now interested in the conversation more. She liked sports but rarely admitted it, as Laurie had always been the athlete. Their mother wanted Nicolette to be a proper young lady. That didn't work out very well. When her sister got fired up, she was not one to be stopped. She was feisty like fire for sure, but she could be peaceful like water. One thing was for sure, she looked up to Nicolette.

The elder Yamada held on tight as Eiji dragged them towards their new school.

_He seems nice. And definitely reminds me of Elayne. They'd get along very well. This makes two people I've met that go to my school…I'm not sure if Fuji-san said what year he was in. I think I was too nervous to notice either way. But maybe Kikumaru will be in my class. It'd be great to already know someone…_

Soon enough, they arrived at the school with the girls having to stop, not used to running to school. Eiji seemed perfectly fine. He was normally running late and with all his tennis practice, it wasn't much of a problem. It hadn't been too far from school when he met them so his lack of stamina wasn't an issue.

Nicolette leaned at the wall near the gate, catching her breath. Kikumaru runs fast! The spunky little redhead didn't seem to be phased she noted. This made her want to work out more.

Marie looked over at her sister, also feeling out of shape but watching her sister closely. _Though I don't play sports._

Kikimaru waved at the girls. "I gotta get going! Hope to see you in class Nishiko-chan!!! Bye Mari-chan!!" He addressed them familiarly but they didn't mind as they had just come from America where it was common to call most people around your age by first name even if you just met.

He ran off, bouncing along searching for his beloved doubles partner.

_Nishiko-chan and Mari-chan were kawaii!! I bet they'll be fun to hang out with! I hope Nishiko-chan's in my class!! Must find Oishi to tell him about them and my new toothpaste!_

After a minute, Marie laughed, causing Nicolette to look over. "Quoi?"**(4)** Asked Marie when her older sister looked at her.

Nicolette shook her head. "Nothing. Let's get a move on. We've also got a map of the school here and we need to find the headmaster's office."

* * *

The sisters walked around the school, Nicolette taking the protective big sister role as they walked, despite her shyness. If she didn't have to talk to people she was fine. In a short time, despite the wandering around aimlessly, they found the office they had been searching for. However they had to wait, as someone was in with him at the moment. But they could hear what was going on.

"I see. Well congratulations on the results of the latest ranking tournament. You remained, Captain no surprise there, and your team looks like a bunch of winners."

All Nicolette heard in response was "Aa."

_Gees, what is he a rock? I'm guessing if he said Captain this guy's a student but he doesn't sound like it. _

"Very well then. You should get to class Tezuka-san. Keep up the good work."

"Hai" And with that the boy who she heard talking walked out of the office. He was tall for a middle school student, he wore glasses, his hair seemed kind of messy but not at the same time. He was wearing the typical black uniform for the boys and she noticed that he was a third year as well.

_Hmm…this school does seem to be full of cute boys. Wait, no! I can't start thinking like Aimée!!! But this school seems interesting that's for sure…_

The headmaster walked out after the stoic boy and greeted the two girls.

"Come in come in. And welcome to Seigaku…"

* * *

**Translations**:

**(1)** "Au revoir!" = Goodbye

**(2)** "Gomenasai!!!" = "I'm sorry!!!" A less formal form of the apology than the one Nicolette uses.

**(3)** Nee-san = Older sister. Short version of onee-san.

**(4)** "Quoi?" = What?

* * *

Blargh. Sorry it took me so long to finish...Though I guess less than a week isn't long. XD I went to the _Harry Potter_ movie Tuesday night at midnight…can you say chaos? So poorly handled. And then woke up the next day not feeling good. No fun.

And gomen for not making it the actual school day yet. It was a random decision to do more than just school. Sooo next chapter you find out which class she's in!!!!

Please review!


	6. The Beginning of a New Adventure Part I

Here's Ch.5! I started this not long after 4 was finished, before I put it up.

The **ACTUAL** first day of school. XD

Thanks for the wait!

_**And **_a big thanks to several people, you know who you are! I've had a rough time lately , thus partial delay. I really appreciate you being there for me! **3**

* * *

Their meeting with the headmaster had been the standard welcome to my school, this is the class you'll be in and I'll take you there shortly. Along with the usual question of "Do you have any questions?"

Nicolette and Marie shook their heads even though Nicolette had a few things she wanted to know. But what she wanted to know couldn't be answered by the headmaster. She just so happened to be an inquisitive and observant person by nature. Couldn't help it.

He stopped at Marie's classroom first; making sure the teacher was there to take her in. The teacher nodded at the headmaster and took Marie in who looked back at her sister before the door shut behind them.

She sighed as the principal took her to her classroom, hoping her little sister would fit in well here. Before she knew it they had arrived at her classroom, something she couldn't decide if she was happy or sad about. He knocked on the door and class hadn't quite started yet so the teacher quickly came to the door.

"Yes sir?"

"Ah, we have a new student for your classroom. The one I mentioned the other day." He added to make sure he remembered.

"Of course! Of course! Now I remember."

_What kind of teacher is this? _But Nicolette didn't speak her thoughts, instead simply smiling.

"Come in, come in." The teacher ushered her into the classroom and bid the headmaster farewell. The students in the classroom were chatting like usual before class but they all silenced as the bell rang and their teacher turned to them.

"Good morning class. Today we have a new student who just transferred here from America. Please introduce yourself." He looked at her and she nodded in confirmation.

"Dozo yoroshiku." **(1)** She said bowing. "Yamada Nishiko desu.**(2)**" The teacher motioned for her to keep going. "I just moved here from America with my family. " She looked back at the teacher like what more do you want me to say?

He just chuckled and looked around to try and decide where it would be best for her to sit. He spied an open spot and nodded to himself. "You will go sit next to Tezuka Kunimitsu. He'll be your seating partner for the rest of the year. Tezuka, please raise your hand so she will know who you are." The teacher watched the situation with interest.

With that Tezuka rose his hand and Nicolette walked over and quckly sat down in the seat next to him, receiving glares from several girls around her. Tezuka didn't seem to share the same feeling…though she couldn't really discern any real emotion from him. He seemed…reserved to say the least. She couldn't quite figure him out.

Tezuka however, thought he could figure her out easily. She had sat down in her desk quickly. This probably meant she was eager and quite possibly another annoying girl that wouldn't shut her mouth and listen to lecture. Of course his sensei's often needed to be corrected for the mistakes they made, but he paid attention nonetheless and pointed things out when necessary.

As class progress he was shocked when she didn't initiate conversation with him. She didn't start trying to distract him unnecessarily from his studies and she was taking notes. He wondered if this was just to make a good impression on their sensei before showing her true colors. He was skeptical from having seen so many of the other girls in his class do such odd things. Regardless, she was a bit of a puzzle…

Later on, their teacher called upon Nicolette at one point to answer a question. They had been talking about math, not her favorite subject to begin with. She was definitely a literature person. "Yamada-san, what is y when 7x + 5y = 20?" He expected her to write it out on the board and explain it bit by bit…_great_…she thought to herself. She walked up to the board and started writing out the problem.

_Ok…not so bad…It's a really easy problem it's just going to be oh so fun explaining this. _Nicolette wrote it all out and looked it over finding it sound, _Merde..,I know I'm going to screw this up somehow…time to find out. _She opened her mouth to explain the problem, showing them as she went along.

"Vous soustrayez sept x des deux côtés et alors vous avez le négatif de cinq égales de y sept x plus vingt. Sept x sans l'annulation de sept x dehors. Alors vous divisez les deux côtés par cinq, les fives se décommandant dehors, ayant pour résultat y est égal aux cinquièmes du négatif sept plus quatre." **(3) **She looked at her teacher, hoping she hadn't messed it up.

He looked at her and the looks on her classmates faces were either of amusement or confusion…both in some cases. Tezuka looked rather confused. _Does she realize she just explained the entire problem in French? I'm afraid that the majority of us don't understand the language. Does she find it amusing?_

He looked at her, a bit confused himself, only following because of her actions on the board. "The problem on the board looks correct Yamada-san, but, uh, you need to stick to Japanese in this classroom. This isn't French class." Many of her classmates began laughing but she simply nodded and quickly headed back to her seat, blushing deeply.

_Ugh! Why can't I keep my thoughts straight at all? I can't help but talk in one language or another sometimes! Blame my parents for teaching me 2 languages at once, then teaching me another not long after. Blame it on living in one country most of my life, but being born here, and summering in another. It's stupid. I'm such a freak. _

Tezuka simply looked over and noted the blushing, realizing it had not been intentional. He was surprised a bit there, as he had figured she was just another girl in the class trying to stand out in their own way. Tezuka was hesitant to admit he was wrong and decided to save further judgment until he had more information. _My god I'm starting to sound like Inui…_

_

* * *

  
_

Luckily, lunch came quickly, saving Nicolette from further embarrassment. The teacher had informed Tezuka he was to be her guide for the day, showing her around and making sure she was acquainted with the school. He intended to, reluctantly, show her where the lunchroom was, and waited for her to realize he was there.

She had been spacing out, simply trying to avoid thinking about her class at all after her little mix-up earlier. She was lost in thought, focusing on the work in front of her instead. Anything, but her earlier mix-up. It brought her back to her first Kindergarten when she barely knew English. Most of her class had looked at her strangely and not wanted to be friends, but her little group found her. They didn't care.

He realized she was lost in thought and he politely cleared his throat to get her attention. Seeing the odd look in her eyes when she turned around to face him reminded him of a child…or an idiot. But he reminded himself he was going to reserve further judgment. "Yamada-san?" He asked questioningly, half wondering if she was actually there mentally.

This finally got Nicolette to snap out of her little world. "Huh? O, gomen Tezuka-san." She stood up and bowed before gathering her things. "Am I in your way or something?" She asked, not sure why he was still there, waiting, staring.

"Sensei instructed me to guide you around the school…which includes showing you where the lunchroom is." He said matter-of-fact.

"Ah." She replied simply as she gathered her things and waited for him to lead the way, unsure of what to do or say.

Lucky for her, Tezuka was the strong silent type and simply took the lead without another word. They silently walked towards the cafeteria as Nikki looked around. This school was so…different than any other she'd been to. Not quite like American schools. Neater for one, not quite as odd though, physically at least. It didn't seem too difficult to learn her way around except for the sheer size.

When they arrived, he briefly explained how things worked and then walked off as she seemed to understand the workings of the place. He got his food and immediately walked over to the table where he normally sat, taking his place with his fellow tennis regulars.

"Hello Tezuka. How was class today?" Fuji asked ever so sweetly as always. He was a sadistic tensai **(4)**…how much more dangerous could it get? He was one of Tezuka's two closest friends…the other being his classmate, class president, Vice-Captain, and mother-hen of the team, Oishi Syuichirou who was also at the lunch table.

"Class was class." He replied simply, taking a bite of his food.

"Ah, but there's that new girl in our class." Oishi pointed out. "Perhaps she's the one Eiji met earlier?"

"Wahhh?? Nishiko-chan's in your class??? No fair!!!!" Eiji whined. He wanted the girl he met on the street to be in his class.

"Ah, gomen Eiji. She is. Yamada-san was actually assigned to be Tezuka's seating partner in class."

Fuji raised his eyebrows for more than one reason. "Now now Eiji, mightn't this be a good opportunity for Tezuka to actually talk to a girl?" _Yamada Nishiko…_

He glared over at his teammate, resisting the urge to assign laps. "Same could be said for you Fuij. It wouldn't hurt for you to get a girlfriend."

"Saa, Tezuka…did I say the word girlfriend? No, no I didn't." Fuji's smile got wider and Tezuka just dropped the entire thing and ate in silence. He did not want to go there with Fuji…there wasn't enough time at lunch.

Things were going fine for the regulars per usual. They had an odd banter going on for a while there…but what could you expect with a group like theirs?

* * *

Meanwhile, Nicolette had brought a bento and taken it up to the roof to eat by herself. She didn't really know anyone yet. It wasn't the best first day so far. She'd been silent through class, no friends to joke with here. She sighed and texted Laura and Matt. She missed her friends already.

To Laura, she wrote:  
'Lover I miss you! It's so lonely here without any company! But you'd have a ball with some of the boys I've seen. Blah. T_T Hope all is well my darling! Text me back when you can! 3 Nikki'

To Matt, she wrote:  
'Hey you. Right now I'm sitting alone on the roof of the school eating the lunch that * my * mother * attempted * to make. Scary, huh? Lol. Miss you big time. Ttys? ~ Nikki '

She sighed and looked at the bento, eating a few things before discarding the rest of the food. Her mother didn't know what on earth she actually liked to eat. At least this stuff was edible…unlike some of the food she tried to make. Not her mother's strong suit.

Nicolette pulled her knees up to her chest and cried. She missed her friends, she missed her school, she even missed her old classes. Things here were different. She smiled and played nice but she was weird. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to go home…Home where she belonged.

_What a first day so far and it it's only halfway better…what's going to happen next? _

* * *

**(1)** "Dozo yoroshiku." - "Nice to Meet you"

.**(2)** "Yamada Nishiko desu.** – **Basically "I'm Nishiko Yamada."

**(3)** I won't put the whole thing here for ease but it means -  
"You subtract seven x from both sides and then you have five y equals negative seven x plus twenty. Seven x minus seven x cancel each other out. Then you divide both sides by five, the fives canceling each other out, resulting in y is equal to negative seven fifths plus four."

**(4)** tensai = Prodigy or genius

* * *

**A/n**: Sorry for the wait!! Things have been insane in life lately. T_T I'm on a spree though so I'm gonna try and get the next up oodles faster. I decided to leave it here because of the dramatic moment. It seemed a good way to end it. So what do you think? Will it get worse? Better? Stay the same? What will happen next?

Speculations welcome! Review please!


	7. The Beginning of a New Adventure Part II

**Apology:** Gomen for the delay! Here you go! ~

* * *

Little did Nicolette know the second half of her day would be even more interesting…just not quite in the same way. After lunch, she had gone to the bathroom to wipe her eyes and fix her appearance. She didn't want anyone knowing that she had been upset. In the bathroom she encountered a group of a few girls…who did not look happy with her. "What do you want?" She asked, not like the fact that they'd been staring at her since she got in there.

"You're Tezuka-sama's seating partner!" One of them said angrily.

_Sama? Is he some sort of god to them? Or an idol? _ "Tezuka-san is my classmate. I don't know him very well at all. Today is my first day." _Gees, what's wrong with them? I guess I got my answer when I wondered if things were worse…_

Another looked at her sternly. "That doesn't matter!!! You're STILL his seating partner! That's a coveted position!! Of course on one side he has Oishi-san but the other has been vacant!! Do you realize how many of us have been trying to get that seat?"

Nicolette didn't realize that at all and quite frankly, she didn't care. All she wanted was to get through her first day without further incident…but fate didn't seem to have that in store for her. "Gomen. No, I did not realize that. But I did not ask for that seat." _I didn't even ask to move to Japan…I had no choice there either…it's not like I want to sit next to a guy who's as cold as ice and quieter than my father…_

"Well then, you wouldn't mind asking sensei for a change in seats?" Their self-proclaimed leader asked.

She shook her head. She really didn't want to deal with this. Nicolette just walked out, ignoring the protests of the girls in the bathroom behind her. However, walking out she wasn't paying attention and just so happened to run into someone. Nicolette looked up to see just who it was that she'd run into.

The boy smiled at her and offered his hand to help her up. She sat there like an idiot, blinking for a minute before taking it and standing up. "Saa, I didn't expect to see you again so soon Yamada-chan. "

Nikki looked at him curiously and then remembered her little venture around town a few days before. _Duh! How could I have forgotten so soon? He DID say he attended Seigaku….I'm such a ditz. _She fought the urge to hit her head out of stupidity but accepted his hand up. "Arigato. " She paused. _Wait, did he call me –chan? _**(1)**_ I don't mind but usually people are more formal than that…_

He chuckled. "You're welcome. Now then, is today your first day? You said you would be starting school soon, ne?"

"Mhmm. Err, hai. Today is my first day." Nicolette said, blushing a little. _Damnit, why do I always have to act like an idiot around people before I get to know them?_

Fuji noticed the blush and let it go for the moment but filed it away for future blackmail/teasing purposes. Why let something like that go to waste? "You seemed in a rush, am I preventing you from going somewhere?" He asked in his ever polite tone.

She shook her head. "No, not at all. I, um, just wanted to get out of there is all. I was done…" _Done? Done what? Baka._

He raised an eyebrow. "O really? Is that all? You were done with what?" Fuji chuckled to himself.

Nicolette was about to answer but before she got the chance the girls who had just been hassling her came bursting out of the restroom. They were about to yell at her once they'd seen the girl when they saw just with whom she was standing there. "Fuji-sama!" The leader of their group exclaimed, shocked at his presence.

He simply looked at them and smiled with the smile he had for this sort of occasion, automatically put in place. Nicolette had to wonder: just what did his real smile look like? When did he actually use it? Did he have one? And what exactly was he hiding with a smile like that?

Fuji didn't take his attention off of them for effect. "Is there a problem ladies?" He asked in a sugary sweet voice, still not opening his eyes. They weren't worth his time.

The girls looked at him and shook their heads. "Nnnno. Of course not. Why would there be?" One of them nudged the two nearby her and looked around, hinting that they should scat. They did not want to cause any trouble for Fuji-sama.

"Well, erm, we should be going, right girls?" The others either nodded or quickly walked off, not wanting to get into any sort of trouble with their leader for breaking the rules…or more importantly, Fuji himself.

The tennis player looked over at the only girl remaining. "You were saying?"

"Errr, I should be going now. Back to class and whatnot. See you later Fuji-san!" Nicolette bowed and walked quickly back to her classroom, making sure not to run into anyone.

* * *

Nikki looked around, making sure there were no rabid fan girls about to attack her and gladly took her seat. She sighed and visibly relaxed. There was no creepy tennis player around to mess with her head. She guessed that's what he was doing. Calling her –chan and then using that tone of voice, even if it was towards the other girls. What was he doing anyways? She shook her head and got ready for the class ahead.

* * *

At the end of the day, Nicolette walked by the tennis courts in an attempt to get out of school as fast as she could and meet up with her little sister Marie. Unfortunately, or fortunately, she still hadn't decided, that meant walking by her classmates Tezuka and Oishi...along with that Fuji character she'd met the other night. Shaking her head, she walked on, not letting herself pause like she wanted to. There was no reason to afterall, none at all…

Tezuka also noticed Nicolette's pause and wondered to himself what she was doing walking this way. There were faster ways to get off of campus. Granted it was her first day of school, so she may have just been lost…but surely she had been given a map. Did no one tell her where she was supposed to go? _Incompetence_. He thought, but he frowned when he realized that had been his job according to their sensei. He needed to do better when given an assignment by a sensei. He'd fix it tomorrow for certain.

Oishi saw this and smiled. Yamada-san was a kind girl as far as he'd seen and he hoped she was adjusting well. He looked over his buchou and best friend. He was the girl's seating partner and guide to the school. _Hmm…maybe it will do Tezuka some good to interact with a person outside of tennis…especially a girl. Perhaps sensei knew what he was doing after all…_

Fuji looked over and noticed this strange behavior and chuckled to himself. The girl was acting rather oddly but it amused him, so he didn't mind. He half wondered which one of them, if any in particular, was she staring at? But he decided it didn't matter…yet…and walked over to fellow third year and regular Inui Sadaharu. "Mou, Inui, are you busy?"

The taller boy looked over at his teammate, trying to decipher his question. Fuji was complicated and nothing was ever as it seemed with him. A simple question like that wasn't just a question but rather a sign. Fuji wanted something. He didn't just have another question that could be easily answered. No, Fuji wanted to know something that Inui did not yet have data on or information he would not easily reveal. "Not too much so, why do you ask?"

The tensai of Seigaku smiled and looked at him innocently. "Saa, I just had a little request."

Inui looked at his teammate curiously. _Little request? Fuji? There is a 95% chance that he is going to ask something that is not little at all…and not as innocent as he is trying to appear._ "And what would that be Fuji?" He asked, making sure his voice was neutral rather than suspicious. That would give Fuji too much to work with.

"I just wanted data on someone…"

He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What kind of data and who?" Inui had to wonder who it was that Fuji couldn't find information on himself…or who he didn't feel like researching.

"You see the girl over there?" He asked, nodding his head in the direction of Nicolette, who was waiting for Marie to meet her.

Inui nodded, signaling for Fuji to continue.

"Her name is Yamada Nishiko if I recall correctly." He spoke, remembering their encounter the other night. "I want any and all information you can get on her. That is, if you're up for the challenge…"

He looked at his teammate and you could clearly see the glint in his glasses. A challenge? Who was Inui Sadaharu to refuse a challenge? It would be like backing down from a match…"Alright then. I'll let you know what I find."

Fuji smirked and walked off contentedly. The fun had just begun…

* * *

The fourteen-year-old girl was glad to be left alone in her room, to her own devices. She didn't want anymore of her interrupting older sister who didn't know what she was talking about or any older brother disrupting her thoughts because he thought he knew everything. She didn't want her baby sister, whom she loved dearly most of the time, to come in bouncing around and wanting to go play tag in the backyard. Marie though, if any of her siblings, she wouldn't have minded. As the quietest member of the household, the two seemed to just get closer with age.

Nikki sighed as she got onto her laptop, signing onto messenger to see if any of her friends were actually online. She shook her head when she remembered the time difference. That really sucked big time, but she stayed up late so maybe she could catch someone at lunch? Being thirteen hours off was a bit confusing, but she knew she'd have to get used to it.

Realizing no one was coming anytime soon, Nicolette forced herself to try and focus on something productive like homework…_Yea right…_She thought to herself, knowing that she was going to have difficultly focusing. After about 15 minutes of arguing with herself she resigned herself to the assignments in front of her and began working.

* * *

Tezuka walked into his room after a nice, long shower, which normally relaxed him and cleared his mind. But this time it was different. He couldn't clear his head or relax. Something was bothering him, something different. _Why am I still thinking about this? It shouldn't be that big of a deal. Things happen, you move on. And it has nothing to do with tennis or academics. I shouldn't be wasting my time with such trivial things. _

But still, he was perplexed and it couldn't help but bug him. _Kunimitsu stop this. Stop spending so much time over this little thing. _He sighed to himself and forced his attention towards something else...the earlier things still passing through his mind.

_

* * *

_

About two hours later, all homework was finally done, and Nicolette decided she might as well get ready for bed, knowing none of her friends would get on. But right after she put on her pajamas, she got a pleasant surprise. Her phone beeped the beep of a new text message and she walked over and picked it up, curious as to who it was.

'Hey Nikki,

Your mom attempted to make lunch? * Shudder * That IS scary. Miss you too. So how is Japan so far? Update is needed. Besides, Laura won't shut up. It's weird without you here. Feels like the balance is gone from the group. Hope to hear back by tomorrow, I do know the time difference….I think.

- Matt'

She smiled at the text message and wrote a quick one back.

'Is it lunch break? If so can I just call? To properly explain my time in Japan, a text would take too long…'

Matt chuckled at reading that. 'Sure. Call away. Lunch is now. You're fine. You've got about an hour.'

With that, Nicolette pressed number '4' on her speed dial, calling her best guy friend.

"Hey." She said, her voice sounding tired.

He noticed the exhaustion and decided to let it go at first, hoping this would put her to sleep. "Hey yourself. So what's been going on so far?"

"How to explain the insanity?" With that the middle child laughed and began explaining, to the best of her abilities, what had happened in her short stint so far in Japan…

* * *

Inui sat at his computer, looking up information on the individual as requested. Fuji was a very resourceful person. If he wanted information, he could usually get it himself…through interesting means. For him to actually ask Inui to look into an individual meant something.

Sadaharu pondered that something. Knowing Fuji as he did, having been on the same tennis team since their first year, and having researched as much as he could, this could be one of several things. It could be good. This could mean that Fuji felt this person deserved to be his friend…or perhaps more. Or it could mean he was simply very curious. But for that to happen, this girl would have to be quite the mystery.

There was also a distinct possibility with Fuji, that this was a bad, bad thing. It didn't have to mean that Fuji disliked the girl; in fact they could be getting along splendidly. It just meant the Fuji could put poor Yamada-san through a living hell if it so suited him. He wasn't known as a sadist without cause. He might have plans to tease her or play with her. Like a predator and it's prey. _Regardless, Yamada-san is in for quite the experience if Fuji has his attention on her…one way or another…_

He looked at the screen one more time, trying to make sure he had read the data on the screen correctly. Inui wasn't one for mistakes. He liked to be precise. But after reading it again, he realized that the information was in fact, fact. _Interesting…_He picked up his cell phone and dialed a specific number, feeling it his obligation.

Fuji was sitting on the floor, leaning against his bed and looking at some pictures that were spread out on the ground in front of him. He had at least a few new ones since the last time he took a look at them and felt that they needed his attention. He wasn't paying much attention at all, being lost in thought, when his phone began to ring, signaling that only one person would be calling him.

See, Fuji had specific ringtones for everyone in his phonebook. Each one was different, no one repeated, just like snowflakes. No two the same. That way he could be sure of who it was….and sometimes it meant he didn't answer the phone. Other times it let him know who it was so he knew what to expect. Nonetheless, he was now curious. Why would their data man be calling him so soon?

Syuusuke picked up the phone and answered with the customary greeting. "Moshi Moshi." His voice held a hint of curiosity, but otherwise it couldn't be read. That was one thing that either frustrated or fascinated people...both on occasion. He made himself nearly unreadable a vast majority of the time, in just about every way. He was one of the only people Inui couldn't quite get accurate data on.

Putting that thought out of his head, Seigaku's resident data tennis player made a point to focus on the task at hand and looked at the computer screen one more time. "Ah, Fuji. I've been doing research like you asked and I have some interesting data that I felt you might want to know…"

The tensai raised an eyebrow. _Data, hmm? _ "Saa, this is awfully soon to have information Inui, isn't it? Are you sure you're doing a thorough investigation? I wouldn't want you to miss something…" He said, teasing his teammate.

Inui pushed his glasses up, a glint could clearly be seen in them. Inui Sadaharu did not have inaccurate data. If new information came along, he added and adjusted. But he did not just 'miss things'. "I'm positive Fuji. I never said I was finished, but I did find some interesting information that I felt I should share sooner rather than later…"

The other boy perked up at this thought. If Inui felt it needed to be shared immediately, then odds are it was good. This was the type of stuff he lived for. "Go on." He said calmly, composing his voice but not his brain.

"Well, you see…"

* * *

Just a recap since apparently one reader got confused.

Birth order of Yamada children:  
Laurie (Twins, He's older by just a little) [15]

Aimée (Twins, She's younger by just a little) [15]

Nicolette [14]

Marie [12]

Elayne [8]

* * *

Translations/Cultural Explanations:

**(1) **–chan = a suffix often used for children and girls. It can also be used by lovers. I'm sure most of you know this already but for some reason I felt the need to do this. XD Probably cause last time he called her –san, being more formal. Though I'm sure most of you know -san as well. If anyone is actually confused about the suffixes then please feel free to ask me or any resident writer. ^^

* * *

**A/n: **Gomen for the delay! I keep saying I'll update fast! Baka me! But hey, I had the ideas written out but this just came in one big inspiration-y hit on Thursday night/Friday morning! Voila! Chapter. =)

BTW I'm having oral surgery on Monday so I don't know when I'll next be able to update. Just found out Wednesday. Lol. I may end up writing while I'm sitting here, not doing anything. Boy would that be interesting. XD Or I might not. THEN I move back onto campus the 22nd! Blargh! But I will do my best to be faithful to you!

And I'm so mean leaving it at a cliffy like that. ^^ What do you think Inui's going to tell Fuji? I'm curious to hear. But hey, it's where I felt it should end. Longest chapter yet though! I'm proud to say! Hehe. And mostly written in one night.

Love ya!

~ Different Child


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